The Pasay Voyagers tripped the Quezon City Galeries Taipans, 87-74, on Thursday night and continued their climb in the MPBL 2025 Season at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay.
Powered by Christian Fajarito and Marc Daniel Sangco, the Voyagers tallied their fifth straight win and improved their record to 15-8 in the round-robin elimination phase of the 30-team, 2-division tournament.
In other games, the Cebu Greats also sustained their recovery with a wire-to-wire 104-86 victory over the Marikina Shoemasters, while the Pangasinan Heatwaves torched the Paranaque Patriots, 135-76, in the opener and likewise stretched their winning run to five for a 15-6 card.
The 6-foot-6 Fajarito, a former Letran Knight, posted 16 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists to clinch best player honors over the 6-foot-5 Sangco, a former St. Benilde Blazer, who notched 14 points, 110 rebounds and 4 assists.
Jasper Salegna provided support with 13 points and 4 rebounds, and so did Joshua Gallano with 8 points plus 2 rebounds.
Quezon City tumbled to 6-16 despite homegrown Nino Ibanez’s 18 points, spiked by five triples, 3 rebounds and 2 assists, and JK Casino’s 12 points plus 2 rebounds.
Pangasinan caught up with reigning back-to-back titlist Pampanga at the fourth spot in the North Division, trailing Nueva Ecija, Abra and San Juan, all with 20-1 slates.
Former University of the Philippines stalwarts Paul Desiderio and Jun Manzo lifted Cebu to its second straight win and three of its last four to rise to 7-15.
Desiderio fired a career-high 28 points, laced by four triples, plus 4 rebounds, while Manzo notched 17 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists, complementing Jan Jamon’s 13 points plus 3 rebounds.
Marikina tasted its fourth straight defeat and fell to 4-18 despite Deo Timajo’s 22 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds; Jethro Escoto’s 13 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds, and Jacob Ubaldo’s 13 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists.
The MPBL goes to Ynares Center Montalban on Friday, with games pitting Bulacan against Imus at 4 p.m., Davao against San Juan at 6 p.m., and host Rizal Xentromall against Ilagan Isabela at 8 p.m.
